When you are in the middle of a sleep crisis (be it mountain or molehill) with your child, it is sometimes hard to see a way out. 

Take me for instance, I am trained in how to help people, both as an OT and as a sleep coach. However when it is your child and you are trying to see your way through, everything can become clouded and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. 

Recently Baby Bel has learned how to climb in and out of her crib (very cautiously and safely) but unless we wanted to buy a crib tent she was going to climb in and out multiple times on a daily basis.  We decided to hold off on the crib tent as she is nearly 2.5 which is the age we recommend - sometime between 2.5 and 3 years- to make the switch from a crib to a bed. With lots of encouragement and reminders, she was able to stay in her crib at night - no climbing out at all until her wake up light came on - Success!
The next step was to change her crib into a toddler bed and work from there. THe first week was great, we had no problems and were congratulating ourselves and patting ourselves on the back when it happened: Baby Bel now gets out of the crib multiple times before eventually falling asleep. (this can take up to an hour ). Not a very auspicious start to a new phase.

I was growing more and more frustrated until I spoke to my mom and she made a simple suggestion: why not go back to the "shuffle". A lightbulb went off in my head. Of course she is feeling insecure and needing to check up on us. As this continued and I became more frustrated it became more of a game for her. Time to tackle this differently.

The moral is that sometimes we need an outside perspective to guide us through troubled times. Either a friend or family member who understands where you are coming from or a sleep consultant who can guide you through the maze and hold up a light at the end of your tunnel.  In my case it was both- Thanks mom!

How do you feel about sleep coaching/sleep training?
There is a lot of controversy out there, whether to try cry it out, use the Ferber technique, use a gentler approach or do nothing. There are positive points to all of these approaches, and sometimes you can't do 'nothing'. Sometimes you are so sleep deprived that you have to do something!  The thing to remember is that the right approach is very personal to every family and even every child.  What is right for one family may not be right for your family. What is right for one child may not even be the correct approach for another child in the same family.

Find out what the options are and choose what makes sense to you. Remember that there is more than one way to teach a child to fall asleep on their own, the same way that there is more than one way to raise a child or eat spaghetti. 

Once you have chosen an approach, make a plan and STICK TO IT. Be consistent and work on it every day for 2 weeks. You can do it! and the results will be so worth it. 

Remember that there is help out there if you need it. Some children require extra help. If you are exhausted and don't know what to do and nothing seems to be working find someone to help you! Ask questions and you will find the answer. You do not have to suffer alone. Find a consultant in your area or online. We want to help you get sleep for the whole family.